Vintage Suitcase Puzzle Storage

My house is not always clean or organized. But I learned one lesson from my mom that has helped me keep my house manageable. And trick is...everything needs a place. It may not make it back to that "place" for several days. But when I have items with no home, that's when our house seems out of control and cluttered.

My kids love puzzles. At this point, Nora just likes to take them apart and Hudson likes to put them back together. I have had such a hard time coming up with an organized way to store the puzzles. I know they make handy little racks, but our puzzles are all different shapes. Some have big wooden handles on each piece. Some are thick. Some are thin. They are various sizes.

FINALLY, the problem has been solved!

 I lined a vintage suitcase with pages from a classic children's book.

I actually fit 24 puzzles in this suitcase yesterday (various sizes and thickness). We normally leave 4 or 5 puzzles under the coffee table, and now I can neatly store the rest of our puzzle collection.

I love that all the pieces are contained - no matter where I sit the suitcase, the pieces are safe inside. This would easily slide under a bed, under the coffee table or beside a bookshelf. The suitcase looks cute too.

And I don't have to worry about trying to neatly stack them in the cupboard.

It's a regular part of our living room decor now. 

I will have a few other refurbished vintage suitcases for sale in our instagram shop - CoveyCreations later tonight.

My sister and I will be selling fun items through this instagram profile. If you comment on the instagram post with your email address, we will send you a PayPal invoice. We'd love to have you follow us!

My kids are loving this suitcase storage - it seems almost like opening a treasure box each time we decide to get out the puzzles! And I am no longer having to try to keep all those oddly shaped knobs stacked nicely.

A kitchen remodel for my little Cook

My Nora Lynn's first birthday is today! I've been working on her gift for quite some time. I am happy to say it is finally finished!

Last year, right before Christmas, I saw this plastic kitchen on Walmart's website for around $15. I'm not sure why it was marked down so low. It was brand new- in the box - no defects. So, I bought it...figuring that it would make a fun first birthday gift. I loved the idea of a play kitchen. I did not, however, love all the quirky colored plastics that made up this little kitchen (blues, tans, grays, greens...). I know that she probably wouldn't care what color it was. My play kitchen was metal and Rainbow Brite. I just wanted Nora's to semi-match her room. Many friends have had great success with spray painting these plastic toys. I decide to try to use supplies that I had on hand to remake this little beauty. I used white chalky paint to cover the plastic surfaces. I found that it covered easily...and chipped easily, as well. A friend of mine let me borrow some chalk paint varnish to see if that would seal the paint properly, but it was still chipping.  I grabbed some regular clear varnish from the garage and brushed it on. It dried with a little bit of a yellowish tent, but seems to be doing a pretty good job of keep the paint in place. I just had to tell myself that it didn't have to look perfect (or pretend that I was going for the "antique white" look). I am sure that it will chip off during normal play - and that just means that I can keep searching for a cheap wooden set to remake. I love a project. 

Hudson has seen me working on this for several weeks. He was so excited that he could finally play with it too. He ran to get his apron and got to cooking. 

It's so funny to hear him say phrases that he must hear me say all the time. "Get back....it's hot.  It's almost ready!" He also loves to take our order like a waiter would do.

There were two cardboard panels (under the oven door) that I could not paint. I decoupaged wrapping paper onto the boards and ended up loving the look. 

I didn't want to use the big stickers that came with the kitchen for the stove eyes. Two lids off icing containers gave me the clean look I was going for. 

I love when my kids pull all their toys out during playtime. I do, however, HAVE to have a place for everything to return to. Nora has received lots of play food and dishes, and I found the perfect storage bags at a yard sale for 25 cents each. 

Empty oatmeal containers will hold more dishes and food. I added a chalkboard label that I had purchased from the Dollar Tree several months back (they came in packs of 6).

I spray painted several accents gold. Every girl needs a gold sink at some point in her life. Right?

Nora loves all the little compartments and baskets. She is great at pulling everything out. 

We have had a fun morning celebrating this little girl.

The birthday banner that I had originally made for Hudson's first birthday came out.

And she even got a candle in her scrambled eggs this morning. Eggs are her current favorite food and she is not a huge fan of sweets.

We will keep celebrating our little blessing with family and friends for the rest of the week.

And I am sure we will have lots of fun cooking in her little kitchen.